People could be on the slopes at Nitehawk Adventure Park by November 17. That’s when the ski hill is scheduled to open for the season. Leading up to that date, Assistant Manager Johnathan Clarkson says he will be watching the weather to see when they can start making snow for opening day.
“As most people know Nighthawk is mainly opened on man-made snow so we spend on average $250,000 to $300,000 making snow annually to get us ready for the winter season. It’s a huge investment before we even have a guest on the hill.”
Clarkson says minus 7 degrees is the warmest crews can start making snow with minus 10 being the ideal temperature.
There will also be some new equipment at the park this year. A second snowcat will be delivered on October 16. Clarkson says when they bought their first one five years ago, it completely changed the conditions on the hill.
“It’s just revolutionized the snow conditions out here and the experience of the guests… You can come out here and really enjoy the experience and not have to deal with that hard pack or things that are caused by the multiple chinooks we get every season because our grooming is that much better.”
Last year, Nitehawk had its longest season in history. It opened on November 18 and ran until April 22.